Hatrack for automobiles



Nov. 17, 1953 Filed Nov. 16, 1950 W. C. SEARLES HATRACK FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Will 6. Sear/es INVENTOR.

Nov. 17, 1953 Filed Nov. 16, 1950 W. C. SEARLES HATRACK FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i will 6'. Sear/es INVENTOR.

BY W Mm Patented Nov. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HATRACK FOR. AUTOMOBILES Will 0. Searles, Denver, 0010.

Application November 16, 1950, Serial No. 195,946

4 Claims.

This invention relates to novel and useful im-- provements in a hat rack for automobiles, restaurants, homes, buses, trains, steamships and the like.

The principal object is to provide a device facilitating compact storage of hats, overcoats and the like against a wall or a wall and a ceiling.

An important purpose is to devise such a device that will grasp a hat and fold against the brim to retain it out of the way, as against the ceiling, but without disturbing or crushing the shape.

Another aim of the invention is to provide in such a device a simple attachment to upholstery as in an automobile, where conventional fastenings are inconvenient.

Yet another aim is to provide a simple folding mechanism to clamp the object in supporting position.

These, together with numerous other objects of the invention, which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this device, a preferred embodiment of which has been disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of the assembled rack of this invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the base of the device showing in detail the hinge, and fastening pins attached thereto;

Figure 3 is a side view of the rack installed, the dotted lines indicating the hat and the position of the yoke when retracted;

Figure 4 is a top view of the base, on an enlarged scale, showing only a portion of the yoke;

Figure 5 is an end View of the base, from the lower end of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a detailed view of the handle and its lever extension.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein the same reference numerals indicate similar parts, to the base [0, is hinged the substantially U-shaped rack or yoke arms l2 at journals [4 formed as by bending the extensions of the base. The yoke is a rod bent on the ends into arms l5, to encircle a hat and to yieldingly press against the brim. The bight of the yoke has straight portions I 6 received in the hinge journals, but therebetween brought together to form the arm or lever l8 and the loop at the extremity of said lever. It is understood that the lever thus formed extends centrally and is coplanar to the arms of the yoke. The free ends of the yoke arms are provided with tip covers 22, of any suitable construction to round off the ends and to prevent their piercing and damaging the hat, and other objects.

Referring more particularly to the construction of the base, which comprises a metal plate, numeral 24 indicate a flange located intermediate the ends and is formed as by a boss, or as by bending a portion of the base upwardly and perpendicularly to the plane thereof. Received selectively in one of the openings 26 of the flange 24, is the pivot 28, hereinafter to be discussed in detail. At the hinge end of the base is an upturned portion of the base 30 designed to bear against and support the lever portion I8 of the yoke, when the yoke is in retracted position. Attached fixably as by welding or made integrally with the base at the hinged end are pins 32. By means of the screw holes 34 at the other end of the base, and of the pins, better shown in Figure 3, the base is attached as is obvious by screws or nails 36 through the before-mentioned holes. and by insertion of the sharp pins into the upholstery.

J ournaled in one of the openings 26 is the end of crank lever 38, which bears two coplanar right angle end bends 28 and 29. The end 28 is pivotally secured in an aperture 26 by washer 46 and cotter pin 42. The other end 29 of the crank is journaled in the loop 46 of the rod or handle 44, better seen in Figures 4 and 6, and retained therein by washers 48 and 50, and peened head 52 of said crank end. The handle 44 is formed of a bent rod, looped on the ends as shown at 46 and 53 and having a doubled length portion 54, a looped handle 56, and a slight bend 58, just beyond the adjacent journal loop 46, and a bend 60, providing an offset lever arm 62.

The hand lever is assembled with the yoke and the crank, as seen best in Figures 1 and 4. The loop 53 journals on loop 20 of the yoke lever. The levers function, as may be understood from Figure 3, showing two operative positions of the yoke and levers. The crank 38 has its end 28 received selectively in one of the holes 26, selected so that the combined length of the lever arm 62 and crank 38, when the handle is advanced and pressed to lie flat on the base (as shown in Figure 3 by the continuous lines) that the yoke arms l2 are biased under tension against the hat brim thus held tightly against the car ceiling, or upholstery thereon, indicated at 64. In this position, clamping is had by virtue of the ofiset in the fulcrumed portion of the handle. It can be seen that when the operator's.

hand is removed from the handle when the lever system is thus disposed, that the weight of the hat and yoke will be directed to cramp the bent portion 58 of the handle lever against the base as it attempts to rotate and fulcrum on the crank end 52 through the loop journal 46.

It is obvious that to disengage the hat, the handle 56 is caused to move outward and thence downward, releasing the ofiset lever from its cramped. position. The downward arcing of the yoke is limited by'the stop '30 6nthebase bear= ing against the yoke lever l8.

Since numerous modifications and equivalentswill readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is notintended to limit the invention to the exactembodiment shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to which 1 fall within the scope of the following appended claims...

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A hat holder comprising a base for mounting on a support, a substantially U-shaped rack, for the reception of a hat, hingedly mounted on the base, a crankmounted for swinging movement onthe base, and a rod pivotally mounted, at an. intermediate point; orr the crank and having one end operatively connected to the rack for actuating said rack on the base.

2. A hat holder comprising a base fOr mount-' ing on a support, a substantially U-shaped rack,

for the reception of'a hat, hingedly mounted on said base, saidrack comprising a bight. portion journalled onthe base and ana-rm on said bight portion, a crank pivotally mounted. on the base, and a rod pivotally mounted, at an intermediate point, on said crank and pivotally connected to the arm for actuating the rack on the base.

3. A hat holder comprising an elongated base for mounting on a support, a substantially U- shaped rack, for the reception of a hat, having its bight portion journalled on one end of said base, an arm on said bight portion of said rack, a crank pivotally mounted on the base, and a rod pivotally mounted, at an intermediate point, on the "crank, said rod including an offset end portion pivotally'conneted to the arm for swinging the rack toward or away from the support.

4. A hat holder comprising a base including a fiange having spaced openings therein, means for securing said base on a support, a rack, for the reception of a hat, hingedly mounted on the base, a rod operatively connected to the rack for swinging same toward and away from the support; and a crank having one end pivotally connected to the rod at an intermediate point, the other end portion of said crank being engageableselectively in the openings in the flange for ad-justably and pivotally mounting said crank on the base.

WILL C. SEARLES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 1,072,266 Smith Sept. 2, 1913 1,506,329 Pike Aug. 26, 1924 1,674,307 Sundell et a1. June 26, 1928 2,538,237 Efner Jan. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 736,932 France Sept. 26, 1932 

